Unilever Community Hygiene Centre

Sustainable Development Goals in Action

Unilever Community Hygiene Centre

Contents

2 Foreword

3 Introduction

4 The Urban Challenge

5 Indiarsquos Slums

6 Unilever Suvidha Centre A New Model for Business

8 Supporting the Global Goals

9 Mobilising Collective Action

10 Key Lessons Learnt

11 Looking Ahead

12 The Project Team

2 billion consumers use our products on any given day

190 countries where our products are sold

euro533 billion sales in

2015

ABOUT US

169000 employees

worldwide

1

13 brands with sales of more than euro1 billion a year

Unilever Community Hygiene Centre

Foreword By Paul Polman

In 2015 UN member countries adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ndash a roadmap for a more inclusive equitable and sustainable world by 2030 The Global Goals are our chance of fixing whatrsquos broken and creating a brighter and more prosperous future for all

The Goals can create a life of dignity and opportunity for all while offering a huge potential to boost profitable growth for businesses everywhere working within the boundaries of the planet Every organisation will benefit from operating in a more equitable resilient world There is no business case for enduring poverty

Within our own activities we have identified where Unilever has the biggest potential to contribute to the SDGs using the reach and scale of our organisation and how this will add value to our business at the same time Through our Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) and our transformational change agenda we are doing our part to achieve the overarching goal of a lsquozero poverty and zero carbonrsquo world

Access to water and sanitation is one of the most pressing challenges of our time Today 25 billion people still lack effective sanitation and good hygiene facilities The sustainable provision of safe drinking water sanitation and hygiene is essential to achieving the SDGs

As part of our USLP we have set an ambitious goal to reach 1 billion people by improving their health and wellbeing With our Lifebuoy handwashing behaviour change programme and our lsquoHelp a Child Reach 5rsquo campaign we have reached 337 million people since 2010 As part of our commitment we aim to help 25 million people gain improved access to a toilet by promoting the benefits of clean toilets and by making toilets accessible

We are committed to achieving this target and contributing to driving progress against the SDGs but we cannot do this alone We must work together to create a brighter future for all

Irsquom therefore delighted that our first Hygiene Centre in Mumbai has opened It is a true example of the progress we can achieve if the private sector partners with governments civil society and citizens to implement the SDGs

PAUL POLMAN Chief Executive Officer Unilever

INTRODUCTION

With a population of 13 billion and accelerated urbanisation India faces immense pressures on its cities As a result its slum population has more than doubled in the past decade and is projected to continue growing This growth poses challenges for communities to access water hygiene and sanitation Improving access to these basic needs is essential to offering people a better life

We know that simple changes can make a big difference washing hands with soap providing safe drinking water and building and maintaining clean toilets With our portfolio of health and hygiene brands Hindustan Unilever is well placed to tackle these challenges in India Through our brands and affordable products we are working with partners to promote life-saving behaviours

Since 2010 Lifebuoyrsquos handwashing programmes have reached over 65 million people in India and since 2005 Pureit has provided 70 billion litres of safe drinking water through its purification devices Our Domestos toilet cleaner brand known as Domex in India is also working with governments and partners to help support access to improved sanitation

However to accelerate progress on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and the SDGs we questioned our current thinking on WASH issues what solutions can we provide to address the SDGs in an urban context With this mindset we developed a new approach to doing business Whilst many people may think of us as a company that sells products sustainable development requires us to think about services new types of collaborations innovation and partnerships

Unilever Community Hygiene Centre2 Unilever Community Hygiene Centre2

In 2016 we launched the Suvidha (lsquoconveniencersquo) Centre the first of what we hope will be many community hygiene centres in India The Centre offers toilets handwashing showers washing machines and safe drinking water to the local community What is more the Suvidha Centre considers the environmental impact of water Through innovative design it uses a closed-loop approach to re-using water Water recycling is an integral part of the design of the Centre from harvesting rainwater from the roof through to treating and re-using lsquogreyrsquo water from showers and laundry to flush the toilets

This pilot project is just the start and something of a bold experiment for us as a company We believe that tackling the WASH challenge will not only save lives but it will also create market opportunities It is helping us to better understand how to grow our business whilst increasing our positive social impact and reducing our environmental impact

SANJIV MEHTA CEO amp Managing Director Hindustan Unilever

3

Unilever Community Hygiene CentreUnilever Community Hygiene Centre

The Urban Challenge

Indiarsquos Slums

Women tend to spend more time than men in the home and neighbourhood where they are more directly exposed to environmental and health hazards of poor sanitation14

Safety is also a real issue for women living in slums particularly if they must travel far away from their settlements for open defecation or to fetch water at certain times of the day or night They are more vulnerable to harassment and assault15

Taking action on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) The Indian government aims to achieve an Open Defecation Free (ODF) India by October 2019 through millions of new toilets for individual households as well as shared facilities for communities16

In support of the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission Unilever has built its first pilot for a holistic solution for hygiene in Mumbai We believe the solution to improving hygiene and sanitation will not come from increasing the number of toilets alone but from creating a system for efficient functional services

Alleviating the plight of those who live in slums will depend on co-operation between the private sector governments and civil society with shared goals and a willingness to pool resources

Slums by their very definition3 are characterised by a lack of basic services such as adequate sanitation and access to safe drinking water One in four city residents worldwide ndash nearly 800 million people ndash live without access to improved sanitation facilities Nearly 500 million people in cities rely on shared sanitation This number has doubled since 1990 More than 700 million lack access to improved sources of drinking water4 Despite some progress rapid urbanisation means that these slums are growing faster than the challenges are being solved5

4

Every person has the right to safe water sanitation and hygiene These are basic human rights as well as major SDG challenges and shared responsibilities While government must address the needs of its citizens there are also significant business opportunities for forward-thinking companies to help develop solutions in this area that are scalable collaborative and equitable

Peter Bakker President amp CEO World Business Council for Sustainable Development

ldquo rdquo

Unilever Community Hygiene Centre 4

Today half the world lives in cities Nearly 30 of these urban residents live in slums1 Itrsquos been estimated that by 2050 there will be 27 billion more people on earth than today with urbanisation rising from 50 to 69 By then around 13 billion people will live in urban slums2

Already in urban areas access to improved drinking water sources is failing to keep pace with growth6 As the global population grows further the rate of demand for water is expected to increase twice as fast There are many competing demands for water such as in food and energy production industrial processes as well as domestic uses But often the marginalised people are the ones who lose out in the fight for water meaning that there is less water available for domestic use in vulnerable communities

Lack of reliable access to water has a big impact on sanitation and hygiene Poor sanitation causes numerous problems For example the contamination of drinking water after storm waters wash human waste into open drinking water sources

Contaminated drinking water causes cholera epidemics faecal-oral diseases such as diarrhoea and outbreaks of malaria The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one in four slum children suffer from diarrhoea at least once a fortnight7 Women and girls are most acutely affected by inadequate facilities in addition to bearing the burden of collecting water

The interconnected challenges of water sanitation and hygiene cause millions of preventable deaths every year worldwide as well as tremendous hardships for the growing population of the urban poor

Mumbai the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra houses one of the largest slums in the world and India continues to carry the greatest share of the global sanitation burden

The sanitation and hygiene crisis In 2015 India was ranked by Wateraid as the country with the longest toilet queues8 It suffers from a lack of functional toilets meaning that a large number remain unused and open defecation continues as a well-established practice Poor construction of shared facilities and a lack of ownership and responsibility for those facilities leads to poor maintenance and cleaning and increased faecal contamination

In many cases toilets do not function properly due to blockages in sewers lack of adequate water supply and failure of pumping stations9 Whilst flushing toilets can prevent contamination and reduce odours it is a challenge to ensure that there is adequate water supply and enough sewers in place to guarantee functionality especially in non-notified slums which are not recognised by the government

Because toilet facilities are seen as unsanitary open defection remains an acceptable cultural norm in some parts of society10 Even where toilets are built as part of social initiatives the complete transition from open defecation to using toilets has not been successful partly due to a resistance to changing behaviour

A lack of adequate sanitation costs India an estimated US$538 billion each year equivalent to US$48 per person or 6 of GDP Around 140000 children die each year from diarrhoea in India11 and only 33 of children under the age of five with diarrhoea received treatment compared to a global average of 4412

The hidden cost of water Water is costly The urban poor pay up to 50 times more for a litre of water than their richer neighbours since they often have to buy their water from private vendors The real cost of water however is frequently unaccounted for as women and girls pay the heaviest price

Women and girls bear the burden of sourcing and fetching water from either private vendors or shared connections when supply is poor Because they spend a considerable amount of time gathering water this can reduce the time available for education employment childcare and rest13

5

Unilever Community Hygiene Centre

Contents

2 Foreword

3 Introduction

4 The Urban Challenge

5 Indiarsquos Slums

6 Unilever Suvidha Centre A New Model for Business

8 Supporting the Global Goals

9 Mobilising Collective Action

10 Key Lessons Learnt

11 Looking Ahead

12 The Project Team

2 billion consumers use our products on any given day

190 countries where our products are sold

euro533 billion sales in

2015

ABOUT US

169000 employees

worldwide

1

13 brands with sales of more than euro1 billion a year

Unilever Community Hygiene Centre

Foreword By Paul Polman

In 2015 UN member countries adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ndash a roadmap for a more inclusive equitable and sustainable world by 2030 The Global Goals are our chance of fixing whatrsquos broken and creating a brighter and more prosperous future for all

The Goals can create a life of dignity and opportunity for all while offering a huge potential to boost profitable growth for businesses everywhere working within the boundaries of the planet Every organisation will benefit from operating in a more equitable resilient world There is no business case for enduring poverty

Within our own activities we have identified where Unilever has the biggest potential to contribute to the SDGs using the reach and scale of our organisation and how this will add value to our business at the same time Through our Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) and our transformational change agenda we are doing our part to achieve the overarching goal of a lsquozero poverty and zero carbonrsquo world

Access to water and sanitation is one of the most pressing challenges of our time Today 25 billion people still lack effective sanitation and good hygiene facilities The sustainable provision of safe drinking water sanitation and hygiene is essential to achieving the SDGs

As part of our USLP we have set an ambitious goal to reach 1 billion people by improving their health and wellbeing With our Lifebuoy handwashing behaviour change programme and our lsquoHelp a Child Reach 5rsquo campaign we have reached 337 million people since 2010 As part of our commitment we aim to help 25 million people gain improved access to a toilet by promoting the benefits of clean toilets and by making toilets accessible

We are committed to achieving this target and contributing to driving progress against the SDGs but we cannot do this alone We must work together to create a brighter future for all

Irsquom therefore delighted that our first Hygiene Centre in Mumbai has opened It is a true example of the progress we can achieve if the private sector partners with governments civil society and citizens to implement the SDGs

PAUL POLMAN Chief Executive Officer Unilever

INTRODUCTION

With a population of 13 billion and accelerated urbanisation India faces immense pressures on its cities As a result its slum population has more than doubled in the past decade and is projected to continue growing This growth poses challenges for communities to access water hygiene and sanitation Improving access to these basic needs is essential to offering people a better life

We know that simple changes can make a big difference washing hands with soap providing safe drinking water and building and maintaining clean toilets With our portfolio of health and hygiene brands Hindustan Unilever is well placed to tackle these challenges in India Through our brands and affordable products we are working with partners to promote life-saving behaviours

Since 2010 Lifebuoyrsquos handwashing programmes have reached over 65 million people in India and since 2005 Pureit has provided 70 billion litres of safe drinking water through its purification devices Our Domestos toilet cleaner brand known as Domex in India is also working with governments and partners to help support access to improved sanitation

However to accelerate progress on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and the SDGs we questioned our current thinking on WASH issues what solutions can we provide to address the SDGs in an urban context With this mindset we developed a new approach to doing business Whilst many people may think of us as a company that sells products sustainable development requires us to think about services new types of collaborations innovation and partnerships

Unilever Community Hygiene Centre2 Unilever Community Hygiene Centre2

In 2016 we launched the Suvidha (lsquoconveniencersquo) Centre the first of what we hope will be many community hygiene centres in India The Centre offers toilets handwashing showers washing machines and safe drinking water to the local community What is more the Suvidha Centre considers the environmental impact of water Through innovative design it uses a closed-loop approach to re-using water Water recycling is an integral part of the design of the Centre from harvesting rainwater from the roof through to treating and re-using lsquogreyrsquo water from showers and laundry to flush the toilets

This pilot project is just the start and something of a bold experiment for us as a company We believe that tackling the WASH challenge will not only save lives but it will also create market opportunities It is helping us to better understand how to grow our business whilst increasing our positive social impact and reducing our environmental impact

SANJIV MEHTA CEO amp Managing Director Hindustan Unilever

3

Unilever Community Hygiene CentreUnilever Community Hygiene Centre

The Urban Challenge

Indiarsquos Slums

Women tend to spend more time than men in the home and neighbourhood where they are more directly exposed to environmental and health hazards of poor sanitation14

Safety is also a real issue for women living in slums particularly if they must travel far away from their settlements for open defecation or to fetch water at certain times of the day or night They are more vulnerable to harassment and assault15

Taking action on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) The Indian government aims to achieve an Open Defecation Free (ODF) India by October 2019 through millions of new toilets for individual households as well as shared facilities for communities16

In support of the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission Unilever has built its first pilot for a holistic solution for hygiene in Mumbai We believe the solution to improving hygiene and sanitation will not come from increasing the number of toilets alone but from creating a system for efficient functional services

Alleviating the plight of those who live in slums will depend on co-operation between the private sector governments and civil society with shared goals and a willingness to pool resources

Slums by their very definition3 are characterised by a lack of basic services such as adequate sanitation and access to safe drinking water One in four city residents worldwide ndash nearly 800 million people ndash live without access to improved sanitation facilities Nearly 500 million people in cities rely on shared sanitation This number has doubled since 1990 More than 700 million lack access to improved sources of drinking water4 Despite some progress rapid urbanisation means that these slums are growing faster than the challenges are being solved5

4

Every person has the right to safe water sanitation and hygiene These are basic human rights as well as major SDG challenges and shared responsibilities While government must address the needs of its citizens there are also significant business opportunities for forward-thinking companies to help develop solutions in this area that are scalable collaborative and equitable

Peter Bakker President amp CEO World Business Council for Sustainable Development

ldquo rdquo

Unilever Community Hygiene Centre 4

Today half the world lives in cities Nearly 30 of these urban residents live in slums1 Itrsquos been estimated that by 2050 there will be 27 billion more people on earth than today with urbanisation rising from 50 to 69 By then around 13 billion people will live in urban slums2

Already in urban areas access to improved drinking water sources is failing to keep pace with growth6 As the global population grows further the rate of demand for water is expected to increase twice as fast There are many competing demands for water such as in food and energy production industrial processes as well as domestic uses But often the marginalised people are the ones who lose out in the fight for water meaning that there is less water available for domestic use in vulnerable communities

Lack of reliable access to water has a big impact on sanitation and hygiene Poor sanitation causes numerous problems For example the contamination of drinking water after storm waters wash human waste into open drinking water sources

Contaminated drinking water causes cholera epidemics faecal-oral diseases such as diarrhoea and outbreaks of malaria The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one in four slum children suffer from diarrhoea at least once a fortnight7 Women and girls are most acutely affected by inadequate facilities in addition to bearing the burden of collecting water

The interconnected challenges of water sanitation and hygiene cause millions of preventable deaths every year worldwide as well as tremendous hardships for the growing population of the urban poor

Mumbai the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra houses one of the largest slums in the world and India continues to carry the greatest share of the global sanitation burden

The sanitation and hygiene crisis In 2015 India was ranked by Wateraid as the country with the longest toilet queues8 It suffers from a lack of functional toilets meaning that a large number remain unused and open defecation continues as a well-established practice Poor construction of shared facilities and a lack of ownership and responsibility for those facilities leads to poor maintenance and cleaning and increased faecal contamination

In many cases toilets do not function properly due to blockages in sewers lack of adequate water supply and failure of pumping stations9 Whilst flushing toilets can prevent contamination and reduce odours it is a challenge to ensure that there is adequate water supply and enough sewers in place to guarantee functionality especially in non-notified slums which are not recognised by the government

Because toilet facilities are seen as unsanitary open defection remains an acceptable cultural norm in some parts of society10 Even where toilets are built as part of social initiatives the complete transition from open defecation to using toilets has not been successful partly due to a resistance to changing behaviour

A lack of adequate sanitation costs India an estimated US$538 billion each year equivalent to US$48 per person or 6 of GDP Around 140000 children die each year from diarrhoea in India11 and only 33 of children under the age of five with diarrhoea received treatment compared to a global average of 4412

The hidden cost of water Water is costly The urban poor pay up to 50 times more for a litre of water than their richer neighbours since they often have to buy their water from private vendors The real cost of water however is frequently unaccounted for as women and girls pay the heaviest price

Women and girls bear the burden of sourcing and fetching water from either private vendors or shared connections when supply is poor Because they spend a considerable amount of time gathering water this can reduce the time available for education employment childcare and rest13

5

Unilever Community Hygiene Centre

Foreword By Paul Polman

In 2015 UN member countries adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ndash a roadmap for a more inclusive equitable and sustainable world by 2030 The Global Goals are our chance of fixing whatrsquos broken and creating a brighter and more prosperous future for all

The Goals can create a life of dignity and opportunity for all while offering a huge potential to boost profitable growth for businesses everywhere working within the boundaries of the planet Every organisation will benefit from operating in a more equitable resilient world There is no business case for enduring poverty

Within our own activities we have identified where Unilever has the biggest potential to contribute to the SDGs using the reach and scale of our organisation and how this will add value to our business at the same time Through our Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) and our transformational change agenda we are doing our part to achieve the overarching goal of a lsquozero poverty and zero carbonrsquo world

Access to water and sanitation is one of the most pressing challenges of our time Today 25 billion people still lack effective sanitation and good hygiene facilities The sustainable provision of safe drinking water sanitation and hygiene is essential to achieving the SDGs

As part of our USLP we have set an ambitious goal to reach 1 billion people by improving their health and wellbeing With our Lifebuoy handwashing behaviour change programme and our lsquoHelp a Child Reach 5rsquo campaign we have reached 337 million people since 2010 As part of our commitment we aim to help 25 million people gain improved access to a toilet by promoting the benefits of clean toilets and by making toilets accessible

We are committed to achieving this target and contributing to driving progress against the SDGs but we cannot do this alone We must work together to create a brighter future for all

Irsquom therefore delighted that our first Hygiene Centre in Mumbai has opened It is a true example of the progress we can achieve if the private sector partners with governments civil society and citizens to implement the SDGs

PAUL POLMAN Chief Executive Officer Unilever

INTRODUCTION

With a population of 13 billion and accelerated urbanisation India faces immense pressures on its cities As a result its slum population has more than doubled in the past decade and is projected to continue growing This growth poses challenges for communities to access water hygiene and sanitation Improving access to these basic needs is essential to offering people a better life

We know that simple changes can make a big difference washing hands with soap providing safe drinking water and building and maintaining clean toilets With our portfolio of health and hygiene brands Hindustan Unilever is well placed to tackle these challenges in India Through our brands and affordable products we are working with partners to promote life-saving behaviours

Since 2010 Lifebuoyrsquos handwashing programmes have reached over 65 million people in India and since 2005 Pureit has provided 70 billion litres of safe drinking water through its purification devices Our Domestos toilet cleaner brand known as Domex in India is also working with governments and partners to help support access to improved sanitation

However to accelerate progress on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and the SDGs we questioned our current thinking on WASH issues what solutions can we provide to address the SDGs in an urban context With this mindset we developed a new approach to doing business Whilst many people may think of us as a company that sells products sustainable development requires us to think about services new types of collaborations innovation and partnerships

Unilever Community Hygiene Centre2 Unilever Community Hygiene Centre2

In 2016 we launched the Suvidha (lsquoconveniencersquo) Centre the first of what we hope will be many community hygiene centres in India The Centre offers toilets handwashing showers washing machines and safe drinking water to the local community What is more the Suvidha Centre considers the environmental impact of water Through innovative design it uses a closed-loop approach to re-using water Water recycling is an integral part of the design of the Centre from harvesting rainwater from the roof through to treating and re-using lsquogreyrsquo water from showers and laundry to flush the toilets

This pilot project is just the start and something of a bold experiment for us as a company We believe that tackling the WASH challenge will not only save lives but it will also create market opportunities It is helping us to better understand how to grow our business whilst increasing our positive social impact and reducing our environmental impact

SANJIV MEHTA CEO amp Managing Director Hindustan Unilever

3

Unilever Community Hygiene CentreUnilever Community Hygiene Centre

The Urban Challenge

Indiarsquos Slums

Women tend to spend more time than men in the home and neighbourhood where they are more directly exposed to environmental and health hazards of poor sanitation14

Safety is also a real issue for women living in slums particularly if they must travel far away from their settlements for open defecation or to fetch water at certain times of the day or night They are more vulnerable to harassment and assault15

Taking action on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) The Indian government aims to achieve an Open Defecation Free (ODF) India by October 2019 through millions of new toilets for individual households as well as shared facilities for communities16

In support of the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission Unilever has built its first pilot for a holistic solution for hygiene in Mumbai We believe the solution to improving hygiene and sanitation will not come from increasing the number of toilets alone but from creating a system for efficient functional services

Alleviating the plight of those who live in slums will depend on co-operation between the private sector governments and civil society with shared goals and a willingness to pool resources

Slums by their very definition3 are characterised by a lack of basic services such as adequate sanitation and access to safe drinking water One in four city residents worldwide ndash nearly 800 million people ndash live without access to improved sanitation facilities Nearly 500 million people in cities rely on shared sanitation This number has doubled since 1990 More than 700 million lack access to improved sources of drinking water4 Despite some progress rapid urbanisation means that these slums are growing faster than the challenges are being solved5

4

Every person has the right to safe water sanitation and hygiene These are basic human rights as well as major SDG challenges and shared responsibilities While government must address the needs of its citizens there are also significant business opportunities for forward-thinking companies to help develop solutions in this area that are scalable collaborative and equitable

Peter Bakker President amp CEO World Business Council for Sustainable Development

ldquo rdquo

Unilever Community Hygiene Centre 4

Today half the world lives in cities Nearly 30 of these urban residents live in slums1 Itrsquos been estimated that by 2050 there will be 27 billion more people on earth than today with urbanisation rising from 50 to 69 By then around 13 billion people will live in urban slums2

Already in urban areas access to improved drinking water sources is failing to keep pace with growth6 As the global population grows further the rate of demand for water is expected to increase twice as fast There are many competing demands for water such as in food and energy production industrial processes as well as domestic uses But often the marginalised people are the ones who lose out in the fight for water meaning that there is less water available for domestic use in vulnerable communities

Lack of reliable access to water has a big impact on sanitation and hygiene Poor sanitation causes numerous problems For example the contamination of drinking water after storm waters wash human waste into open drinking water sources

Contaminated drinking water causes cholera epidemics faecal-oral diseases such as diarrhoea and outbreaks of malaria The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one in four slum children suffer from diarrhoea at least once a fortnight7 Women and girls are most acutely affected by inadequate facilities in addition to bearing the burden of collecting water

The interconnected challenges of water sanitation and hygiene cause millions of preventable deaths every year worldwide as well as tremendous hardships for the growing population of the urban poor

Mumbai the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra houses one of the largest slums in the world and India continues to carry the greatest share of the global sanitation burden

The sanitation and hygiene crisis In 2015 India was ranked by Wateraid as the country with the longest toilet queues8 It suffers from a lack of functional toilets meaning that a large number remain unused and open defecation continues as a well-established practice Poor construction of shared facilities and a lack of ownership and responsibility for those facilities leads to poor maintenance and cleaning and increased faecal contamination

In many cases toilets do not function properly due to blockages in sewers lack of adequate water supply and failure of pumping stations9 Whilst flushing toilets can prevent contamination and reduce odours it is a challenge to ensure that there is adequate water supply and enough sewers in place to guarantee functionality especially in non-notified slums which are not recognised by the government

Because toilet facilities are seen as unsanitary open defection remains an acceptable cultural norm in some parts of society10 Even where toilets are built as part of social initiatives the complete transition from open defecation to using toilets has not been successful partly due to a resistance to changing behaviour

A lack of adequate sanitation costs India an estimated US$538 billion each year equivalent to US$48 per person or 6 of GDP Around 140000 children die each year from diarrhoea in India11 and only 33 of children under the age of five with diarrhoea received treatment compared to a global average of 4412

The hidden cost of water Water is costly The urban poor pay up to 50 times more for a litre of water than their richer neighbours since they often have to buy their water from private vendors The real cost of water however is frequently unaccounted for as women and girls pay the heaviest price

Women and girls bear the burden of sourcing and fetching water from either private vendors or shared connections when supply is poor Because they spend a considerable amount of time gathering water this can reduce the time available for education employment childcare and rest13

5

Unilever Community Hygiene CentreUnilever Community Hygiene Centre

The Urban Challenge

Indiarsquos Slums

Women tend to spend more time than men in the home and neighbourhood where they are more directly exposed to environmental and health hazards of poor sanitation14

Safety is also a real issue for women living in slums particularly if they must travel far away from their settlements for open defecation or to fetch water at certain times of the day or night They are more vulnerable to harassment and assault15

Taking action on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) The Indian government aims to achieve an Open Defecation Free (ODF) India by October 2019 through millions of new toilets for individual households as well as shared facilities for communities16

In support of the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission Unilever has built its first pilot for a holistic solution for hygiene in Mumbai We believe the solution to improving hygiene and sanitation will not come from increasing the number of toilets alone but from creating a system for efficient functional services

Alleviating the plight of those who live in slums will depend on co-operation between the private sector governments and civil society with shared goals and a willingness to pool resources

Slums by their very definition3 are characterised by a lack of basic services such as adequate sanitation and access to safe drinking water One in four city residents worldwide ndash nearly 800 million people ndash live without access to improved sanitation facilities Nearly 500 million people in cities rely on shared sanitation This number has doubled since 1990 More than 700 million lack access to improved sources of drinking water4 Despite some progress rapid urbanisation means that these slums are growing faster than the challenges are being solved5

4

Every person has the right to safe water sanitation and hygiene These are basic human rights as well as major SDG challenges and shared responsibilities While government must address the needs of its citizens there are also significant business opportunities for forward-thinking companies to help develop solutions in this area that are scalable collaborative and equitable

Peter Bakker President amp CEO World Business Council for Sustainable Development

ldquo rdquo

Unilever Community Hygiene Centre 4

Today half the world lives in cities Nearly 30 of these urban residents live in slums1 Itrsquos been estimated that by 2050 there will be 27 billion more people on earth than today with urbanisation rising from 50 to 69 By then around 13 billion people will live in urban slums2

Already in urban areas access to improved drinking water sources is failing to keep pace with growth6 As the global population grows further the rate of demand for water is expected to increase twice as fast There are many competing demands for water such as in food and energy production industrial processes as well as domestic uses But often the marginalised people are the ones who lose out in the fight for water meaning that there is less water available for domestic use in vulnerable communities

Lack of reliable access to water has a big impact on sanitation and hygiene Poor sanitation causes numerous problems For example the contamination of drinking water after storm waters wash human waste into open drinking water sources

Contaminated drinking water causes cholera epidemics faecal-oral diseases such as diarrhoea and outbreaks of malaria The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one in four slum children suffer from diarrhoea at least once a fortnight7 Women and girls are most acutely affected by inadequate facilities in addition to bearing the burden of collecting water

The interconnected challenges of water sanitation and hygiene cause millions of preventable deaths every year worldwide as well as tremendous hardships for the growing population of the urban poor

Mumbai the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra houses one of the largest slums in the world and India continues to carry the greatest share of the global sanitation burden

The sanitation and hygiene crisis In 2015 India was ranked by Wateraid as the country with the longest toilet queues8 It suffers from a lack of functional toilets meaning that a large number remain unused and open defecation continues as a well-established practice Poor construction of shared facilities and a lack of ownership and responsibility for those facilities leads to poor maintenance and cleaning and increased faecal contamination

In many cases toilets do not function properly due to blockages in sewers lack of adequate water supply and failure of pumping stations9 Whilst flushing toilets can prevent contamination and reduce odours it is a challenge to ensure that there is adequate water supply and enough sewers in place to guarantee functionality especially in non-notified slums which are not recognised by the government

Because toilet facilities are seen as unsanitary open defection remains an acceptable cultural norm in some parts of society10 Even where toilets are built as part of social initiatives the complete transition from open defecation to using toilets has not been successful partly due to a resistance to changing behaviour

A lack of adequate sanitation costs India an estimated US$538 billion each year equivalent to US$48 per person or 6 of GDP Around 140000 children die each year from diarrhoea in India11 and only 33 of children under the age of five with diarrhoea received treatment compared to a global average of 4412

The hidden cost of water Water is costly The urban poor pay up to 50 times more for a litre of water than their richer neighbours since they often have to buy their water from private vendors The real cost of water however is frequently unaccounted for as women and girls pay the heaviest price

Women and girls bear the burden of sourcing and fetching water from either private vendors or shared connections when supply is poor Because they spend a considerable amount of time gathering water this can reduce the time available for education employment childcare and rest13

5

Unilever Community Hygiene CentreUnilever Community Hygiene Centre

s play er

ea and wat

enrsquo

ROOF

childr e

aptur

arc

OOR

FIRST FL y

Men onl

CLING PLANT

YREC

OOR

GROUND FL

omen only

W

acilities

BASEMENT

Laundry f

Suvidha The Unilever Community Hygiene Centre Around 63 million people in Mumbai The Suvidha Centre which is located We built the Centre in 2016 with our PAY PER USE IN INDIA ndash 54 of the population ndash live in one in one of Mumbairsquos most challenging partners Mumbai Municipal Body and of 2000 slums17 Just under half of slums is a holistic approach to the Pratha a non-profit community based Pay-per-use facilities are normal across

Rainwater harvesting Rainfall on the roof and drainage channels could add up to 9000 litres per day during the Monsoon reducing the pressure on mains supplies for the Centre

Drinking water Pureit provides drinking water that is lsquoas safe as boiled waterrsquotrade

Childrenrsquos Play Area A safe space for children to learn and play

Mumbairsquos slums are non-notified which issues of poor personal hygiene organisation The project was devised India For example many households means that they do not have access lack of laundry facilities lack of safe developed and built in close consultation spend 20ndash30 rupees per day and wait for to city services such as connections drinking water and poor sanitation with the local community It is a up to 60 minutes in queues at the pay-to water supplies Without legal The community centre provides WASH community centre that meets real needs per-use toilets The Suvidha Center will connections to water supplies many services at significantly lower costs than catering for over 1500 people It is a offer this service for 1ndash3 rupees per day residents are forced to illegally tap into market rates market-based solution that is designed or less than 150 rupees for a monthly city water pipes which can compromise to be affordable and replicable family pass Children will have free

Showers Overhead showers and separate bathing areas with soap Low-flow shower heads and push valves help to save water

Water Recycling The Centre also promotes a safe and the safety of the water supply18 access to the toilets Laundry facilities Waste water from laundry welcoming environment for everyone and safe drinking water will also be showers and handwashing Many people in Mumbairsquos slums also A secure and safe childrenrsquos play area offered at a much lower cost than is captured and treated then

Toilets Clean flushing toilets for women men and children Accessible toilets for people with disabilities Facilities for feminine hygiene needs Safe private hygienic and odour-free environment

face problems in accessing potable water has been built on the roof and there are typical market rates reused to flush the toilets because of contamination low pressure separate entrances for women and girls irregular supply and high access costs20 which can be accessed at night A shared water connection is typical just 5 of households have private water connections Just one in five has access

The Suvidha Centre has been designed with careful consideration of the

Handwashing Designated stations on each floor for handwashing Soap is provided along with messages to encourage handwashing at the right times and in the right way

Livelihoods Paid employment opportunities to run clean and manage the centre

Without the burden of traveling to fetch and store water and do laundry women have more time to engage in productive activities and employment

With the Suvidha Centre Unilever has clearly articulated a practical example of how to deliver on the SDGs in a way that is aligned to commercial objectives The challenge is this how can the model reach scale far beyond the slums of Mumbai How best to marry the leadership resources and impressive expertise of big business with the required small business innovation and a systemic service-based approach to respond successfully to the needs of millions of low-income urban residents I look forward to watching the Suvidha Centres meet this challenge

Neil Jeffery Chief Executive Officer Water amp Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP)

ldquo

rdquo

environmental impact of water use The to a toilet that is not shared with other design is based on a circular economy households20

approach to water using innovative Residents of these slums are essentially technology to harvest rainwater from the deprived of their fundamental human roof and recycle water from showers rights to safe and clean drinking water handwashing facilities and laundry to and sanitation provide flushing toilets

Black water to

Laundry Modern facilities with detergent save time energy and money Clothes are already 60 dry after washing sewage pipes

6 7

Unilever Community Hygiene Centre

e e e f) -

SUSTAINABLE Gtn~ ALS DEVELOPMENT rl-

Supporting the Global Goals Unileverrsquos Suvidha Centre is helping to translate the SDGs into tangible action on water sanitation and hygiene as well as other key drivers of development

Access to drinking water sanitation and hygiene are human rights critical to achieving the SDGs and fundamental to the growth and development of children Unilever has been at the forefront of developing innovative market-based solutions to address this challenge The Hygiene Centre concept builds on local customs and expertise and brings together key partners to provide a potential solution for improving hygiene and addressing the water SDG at a wider scale

Sanjay Wijesekera Chief of water sanitation and hygiene UNICEF

ldquo

rdquo

Mobilising Collective Action Collective action is the most powerful ENGAGING CITIZENS tool we have to drive positive change

Raising awareness and providing Achieving the SDGs will require a step people with the tools and knowledge to change in the way that the private engage with their governments will be sector governments and civil society key to solving the WASH challenge In work together We need entirely new India we also run our Swachh Aadat types of collaboration innovation and Swachh Bharat (Clean habits Clean partnership between these bodies if India) programme ndash a mass media we are to drive collective action for a campaign combined with an on-the-brighter and more sustainable future ground behaviour change programme to for all promote good hygiene habits Bringing

together Lifebuoy Domex (Domestos) Unilever worked with others across the and Pureit the programme supports water sanitation and hygiene sector to the government of Indiarsquos Swachh campaign for a stand-alone water and Bharat (Clean India) Mission to improve sanitation goal in the SDGs ndash including sanitation for all Indians by 2019 targets on ending open defecation and

providing universal access to water sanitation and hygiene In recognition DEVELOPING MARKET-of the vital role that the private sector BASED SOLUTIONS can play in delivering Goal 6 we helped establish the WASH4Work coalition We are looking to develop more which aims to mobilise greater business market-based solutions which will action to address WASH challenges in provide opportunities for economic the workplace in communities where empowerment and sustainable business workers live and across supply chains growth For example in partnership with

Oxfam and Technoserve Unileverrsquos hand The Suvidha Centre is a small step on dishwashing brand Sunlight has created the way to achieving the Global Goals Water Centres in Nigeria The centres To translate goals into action will require make clean water more accessible in more market-based solutions ndash backed water-scarce regions helping to reduce by robust policies corporate ambition the time spent collecting water as well government support and citizen as preventing the use of dirty water We engagement train local women to run the centres

hence also providing skills and an opportunity to earn an income

Following the success of our first two Sunlight Water Centres we scaled up this initiative in Nigeria in 2015 We are working with other countries where the sanitation needs are great and we have a market opportunity to help at scale including in South Africa Indonesia and Brazil We currently have a total of ten Sunlight Centres

NEW BUSINESS MODELS TO DELIVER WASH Unilever also launched Transform in 2015 a partnership with the UKrsquos Department for International Development and the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership The partnership will identify and develop business models that serve low-income households and fund behaviour change research By 2025 the partnership aims to help 100 million people adopt behaviours and access products and services that have been shown to improve health livelihoods the environment or wellbeing

The private sector plays a critical role in achieving the SDGs All stakeholders must work collaboratively to define effective approaches to deliver on SDG 6 Market-based approaches and solutions offer the highly important prospect of ongoing sustainable and steadily achieved results

Chris Holmes Deputy Assistant Administrator and Global Water Coordinator USAID

ldquo

rdquo

Sustainable Development Goals

Access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all

Capacity building and participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation

Universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

Improve water quality by reducing pollution and untreated wastewater and increasing recycling and safe reuse

Access for all to adequate safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums

End preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age

Equal rights to economic resources for women

Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres

Employment and decent work for All

Unilever Suvidha Centre in action

The Suvidha Centre is a community facility that has been built to the highest standards The public toilets cater to over 1500 slum dwellers and meet almost 80 of their basic water needs for laundry showers toilets and handwashing

We partnered with local NGOs to develop the concept and build the Centre The Centre itself is strengthening participation of local communities in water and sanitation management

Pureit provides drinking water that is lsquoas safe as boiled waterrsquotrade

A closed loop system recycles around 9 to 10 million litres of water annually Rainwater harvesting from the roof reduces the use of mains water

The Centre addresses WASH challenges in an urban setting and is designed specifically for slum residents

Studies show that washing hands with soap is one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to prevent diseases like diarrhoea Soap and handwashing stations provide clean water and messages on washing hands at the right times

Women typically wash clothes by hand every afternoon Laundry facilities at the Centre will save time for women and also provide direct employment opportunities

The Centre has been designed with safety in mind with separate entrances for women and girls Specific toilets open at night will reduce the risk of violence that is so prevalent at many slum toilets

Paid employment opportunities to run clean and manage the centre

9

Unilever Community Hygiene CentreUnilever Community Hygiene Centre

KEY LESSONS

Lesson 1 Co-Create to Innovate The whole process of developing a new business model had to be as consultative as possible We began with the end users This was vital to ensure the whole approach was going to be useful Co-creation with end-users in the community will help us make it a success Having an inclusive process also helped with buy-in from local stakeholders and imparts a sense of ownership Ultimately getting all these insights from a wide range of different stakeholders ndash including end-users regulators and other companies ndash helped us come up with a more resilient model

Lesson 2 Partner to Realise the Opportunities Unilever is not in the construction business Nor are we architects planning specialists plumbers or carpenters But we needed all these skills and more to build our first Hygiene Centre We had to ask for help and draw on specialist skills We learnt that identifying specialist subject matter experts who could understand the practical challenges and had experience delivering such projects was essential for progress

Beyond just collaboration we needed to enter formal partnerships to make our plans a reality By partnering with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) we were able to tap into the skills and networks of others These groups often have a comprehensive understanding of community needs on the ground and can help companies to navigate cultural sensitivities and political challenges Itrsquos essential to select the right partners based on a set of shared objectives and values

Lesson 3 Expect the unexpected With any project there are always surprises Doing something challenging and different made the surprises bigger External factors included inclement weather that contributed to delays Festival seasons meant interruptions to scheduled plans due to fewer working days or the absence of local labour Working in an area without planned infrastructure like water and electricity was a major challenge There were many unknowns from high tension wires that run above slums to poor soil quality near the ocean on reclaimed land

Being flexible and ready to adapt to an unpredictable environment helped us navigate everything that came up Preparing for unknowns in advance helped us put together teams to overcome the barriers Above all the project required patience perseverance and optimism to make it a reality

LOOKING AHEAD In India the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission can play an instrumental role in scaling-up market-based solutions Financing these solutions will be a key part of their success We need providers of capital ndash like financial services firms and intergovernmental agencies ndash to play their part in spurring more such innovation By working together private sector government and civil society can catalyse more change faster

1 How can we share the financing We should explore new models of shared financing Blended finance such as between governments and international financial institutions can enable more long-term approaches by pooling risk that delivers real social and environmental outcomes How about governments or financial bodies collaborating with local communities Could local families in places like Mumbai contribute and become shareholders in a self-sustaining shared service Which financial entities could structure borrowing facilities to help local communities develop their own solutions to the big social issues like water and sanitation

2 How can we help more entrepreneurs Entrepreneurs often have the insights energy and networks to deliver on the ground Specific funds could be set up to help small-scale entrepreneurs establish their own solutions What types of social loans could individuals draw on to deliver a solution that meets a community need This can not only tackle social issues but also trigger a new channel for improving livelihoods

We are calling on others to adopt other market-based solutions that enable collective action to achieve the SDGs By developing similar projects we can innovate new models share learnings and achieve change at scale

LEARNT From developing the initial concept through to opening our first Hygiene Centre wersquove learnt some key lessons along the way We hope that these insights will be useful to others that want to adopt similar market-based solutions through novel sustainable business models

Our vision for the future is one of taking action at scale market-based solutions that change lives and improve livelihoods It must be a self-sustaining model of business working in partnerships to deliver not just to Indiarsquos aims but the Global Goals as well

Meeta Singh Project Lead Global Director Sustainable Business Unilever

10 11

Unilever Community Hygiene Centre

The project team

CORE Team

Meeta Singh Project Lead Global Director Sustainable Business

Prasad Pradhan Director Sustainable Business and Communications ndash South Asia

Jash Sarvaiya Intern - Assistant Manager Purdue University

Unilever Expertise Team

Engineering Support Anand Deshpande amp Arvind Varshney Unilever Engineering Services

RampD Support Samiran Mahapatra Nitin Deshpande amp Nimish Shah Unilever RampD

Finance Support Anita Bhatt Zutshi VP Finance

Manish Shah Manager Finance

REFERENCES

1 UN Habitat State of Cities Report 20132013 2013

2 Unilever Unileverrsquos CMO speaks about making sustainable living commonplace 2011

3 UN Habitat The State of Asian and Pacific Cities 2015 2015

4 WHO Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water 2015 Update and MDG Assessment 2015

5 UN The Millennium Development Goals Report 2014 2014

6 UN Water The United Nations World Water Development Report 2015 2015

7 WHO Urbanization and communicable diseases 2010

8 Water Aid Itrsquos No Joke The State of the Worldrsquos Toilets 2015 2015

9 Water and Sanitation Program Improving Water Supply and Sanitation Services for the Urban Poor in India 2009

10 Water and Sanitation Program A Randomized Controlled Study of a Large-Scale Rural Sanitation Behavior Change Program in Madhya Pradesh India 2014

11 WaterAid Water At what cost The state of the worldrsquos water 2016 2016

12 Unicef Diarrhoeal Disease 2016

13 Water and Sanitation Program Improving Water Supply and Sanitation Services for the Urban Poor in India 2009

14 UN Gender Equality and Sustainable Urbanisation year unknown

15 International Policy Centre for Inclusive Policy Access of the Poor to Water Supply and Sanitation in India Salient Concepts Issues and Cases 2010

16 Government of India Guidelines for Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) 2014

17 Water and Sanitation Program The Mumbai Slum Sanitation Program Partnering with Slum Communities for Sustainable Sanitation in a Megalopolis 2006

18 WHO The right to water in the slums of Mumbai India 2015

19 Water and Sanitation Program The Mumbai Slum Sanitation Program Partnering with Slum Communities for Sustainable Sanitation in a Megalopolis 2006

20 International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) The Implications of Being a Non-notified Slum in India 2012 2012

21 International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) The Implications of Being a Non-notified Slum in India 2012

12 Report written by Corporate CitizenshipUnilever Community Hygiene Centre12

HINDUSTAN UNILEVER LIMITED Head Office and Registered Office Hindustan Unilever Limited Unilever House B D Sawant MargChakala Andheri (E)Mumbai - 400 099T +91 22 3983 0000

PRODUCED by Unilever Sustainable Business and Communications

ADVICE on reporting Corporate Citizenship

DESIGN wwwthisisrarecouk

PRINTING Bonsoir Arts

November 2016

If you have finished with this document and no longer wish to retain it please pass it on to other interested readers or dispose of it in your recycled paper waste Thank you

wwwunilevercom

For further information on our social economic and environmental performance please visit wwwhulcoinsustainable-living

HINDUSTAN UNILEVER LIMITED Head Office and Registered Office Hindustan Unilever Limited Unilever House B D Sawant MargChakala Andheri (E)Mumbai - 400 099T +91 22 3983 0000

PRODUCED by Unilever Sustainable Business and Communications

ADVICE on reporting Corporate Citizenship

DESIGN wwwthisisrarecouk

PRINTING Bonsoir Arts

November 2016

If you have finished with this document and no longer wish to retain it please pass it on to other interested readers or dispose of it in your recycled paper waste Thank you

wwwunilevercom

For further information on our social economic and environmental performance please visit wwwhulcoinsustainable-living